Life is Strange: True Colors is Hopefully the ‘Next Chapter’ in Episodic Games
Live service is gaining popularity. Massive open-world titles narrative-driven episodic games have developed a loyal fanbase that is growing. Life is strange one such franchise is episodic gaming. Its diverse community is one that is most active in gaming, and they are anticipating the release. True Colors: Life is Strange.
The Life is Strange franchise continues winning hearts with each new entry. It has a variety of storylines, complex but relatable characters, powerful soundtracks and a strong focus on societal themes. Although the upcoming Life is Strange: True Colors appears to be a step forward, True Colors is doing some things differently that could make it the next big thing for episodic games.
The Strangest of Life: True Colors can Reenergize the Episodic Formula
Although episodic games have been around for a while, their popularity exploded after Telltale released The Walking Dead. After that Telltale released a multitude of successful episodic games with a similar structure, and while there are plenty of reasons for the studio’s closure and rebirth, one of them could be its over-reliance on a formula that didn’t reinvigorate fans.
The first Life is Strange video game was, in many ways a breath of new air. However, its similarities to Telltale’s The Walking Dead, and other point-and-click adventure games, were evident. Life is Strange 2 and Life is Strange 3 were released by Dontnod Entertainment. This release model is similar to Telltales. Dontnod won’t be making Life is Strange: True Colors and it’s not clear if they will continue to work on the series. True Colors instead goes to Deck Nine Games. They are making fundamental changes that could signal the end of episodic games.
Life Is Strange: True Colors will be released in its entirety. This changes the way players experience the story. Life is Strange: True Colors‘ break from episodes is good, and a much-needed change that gives players the freedom to play its chapters whenever and however they want. If successful, the Netflix approach to True Colors could be the norm in narrative-driven episodic adventure gaming.
You will appreciate that Deck Nine is trying to do things differently and learning from the mistakes made by Life Is Strange 2. Life is Strange 2 was well-received, but it was criticised for its slow release schedule. Most episodes took three to four months to arrive. This resulted in a confusing experience, particularly for Life is Strange veterans who joined at the launch.
Life Is Strange: True Colors will be different because it will release the entire thing, but it also expands the possibilities and potential consequences. Players can freely explore Haven Springs, which will give them ample opportunities to use Alex’s supernatural ability of empathy. It can create multiple optional scenarios exclusive to a specific player. True Colors is interested in leveraging the success of Life is Strange and expanding on those elements to allow players more of what they desire, while also making subtle improvements to modernize the experience. A third chapter, Wavelengths is available to keep players busy and will launch within three weeks of the base game’s launch.
Life is Strange: True Colors will be an evolution in point-and-click episodic video games, which have long followed Telltale’s structure with The Walking Dead. True Colors, with its AAA budget, next-gen ambitions and a bold new format, seems to be making a significant shift in episodic gaming. This could open the door for future games.
